After a couple of acknowledgements and the interest generated in the Ottoman Guns Thread, I thought I would start a new Thread here on the locally made/used Indian guns during the Ottoman Empire era.
They are unique in their stock design and barrel making techniques.
The most common and best known example is what is commonly referred to as the Indian Torador musket. It's amazing these muskets were still in use by the locals and irregulars till at least about 1880. The fact that they were made and used for this long of a period is the likely reason there are so many original specimens still available today. The matchlock mechanism is a simple lever-type that would date back to the 16th Century. The stocks were typically made in two pieces and spliced together about the middle of the fore stock. The long, square shape of the butt stocks has always been a curiosity. It's my opinion that the long butt stocks were designed to be positioned under the arm pit while firing. And it does help to balance the long, heavy barrel. You do indeed get a sight picture holding the gun this way.
I've never found any historical evidence to prove this, but it's the only theory that makes sense. The barrels were typically tapered and flared round in figured Damascus forged around a mandrel. A simple brass bead front sight and a simple slotted rear sight that was forged to the breech of the barrel or to the breech plug itself. The breech plug was forged welded in place versus threaded. In fact, the entire gun was made without a single threaded screw. The overall design of the gun was so simple that there was really nothing to break or go wrong while in the field. I've read that the locals became so expert with these matchlocks that they insisted on using them even if a more modern gun was offered. But, as with many of the Eastern guns, there is little historical written information on their design and use, other than study of the guns themselves. I do have in my library an actual period witness account of how the barrels were made for these Torador muskets. It's so different (even compared to other Ottoman period barrels) that it's almost worth a separate Thread on it's own. And as with other Ottoman period guns, the Toradors would be built from very plain to highly decorated, and all points in between.
Here are some pics of my only Indian Torador musket in my collection. This one is a good, solid, middle of the road munitions grade musket that sports a Hoyt barrel liner and is now a .62 caliber smooth, standard cylinder bore. It has a new pan cover (original broken and missing) and a new, taller brass front bead sight. Besides the liner, Bobby had to drill out the original forged in breech plug and make a special sleeve and threaded plug. So it now has a removable, threaded breech plug. I'll explain the reason for this in a later post.
Rick
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